This document is about minor inconsistencies. If you're new to this, please go through this one first: https://xangle.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025801692. Please note that in any case, the best way to freeze your subject is to use strobes, as described in this article: https://xangle.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360028513291
In some cases, you might get minor trigger inconsistencies (what my clients usually refer as "shaky feet")
In which cases is it likely to happen?
- You're working with a super fast-moving subject
- You're using old beaten up cameras (lazy shutter)
- You're using cameras that can't do mirror lockup (T5/1200d, T6/1300d)
- Your cameras are very close to each other (this doesn't affect shutter accuracy, but any small error is more likely to be apparent)
For the reasons mentioned above, triggering can be more or less inaccurate, no matter if you're using Esper or USB triggering. Use the new "Tolerance" slider to patch this problem. As you can see from this video, instead of trying to trigger all cameras at the same time, we trigger 1 and 12 at the same time, then 2 and 11 5ms later, etc. This brings some sort of a curve pattern in the triggering, but that looks better than shaky feet!
In the video above, I simulate non-precise triggering by turning off the mirror lockup feature of my Canon SL2 cameras. You can clearly see the ball shaking. Please note that the ball was on its way down (I couldn't get bad triggering on the way up as the ball was moving slower). On the second set, I activate the tolerance at a value of 5 (which is in reality, 5ms). You can see how smoother it looks even if we don't get a perfectly frozen shot.
As final words, I know how frustrating these issues can become, especially when you're in a live event. Know your equipment, and practice well in advance to ensure you master the art of perfect triggering (did I just say that?!). This is the result of 154 cameras triggered by USB only using continuous light: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz9Yw-FhxCF/